Epictetus Quotes About Desire

Quotes about: Desire

• Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire.

  Epictetus

  Military, Philosophical, Discipline

  Epictetus (1866). “The Works of Epictetus: Consisting of His Discourses, in Four Books, the Enchiridion, and Fragments”, p.316

• No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.

  Epictetus

  Life, Patience, Time

  Epictetus (1866). “The Works of Epictetus: Consisting of His Discourses, in Four Books, the Enchiridion, and Fragments”, p.48

• If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked.

  Epictetus

  Believe, Philosophical, Wicked

• The flourishing life cannot be achieved until we moderate our desires and see how superficial and fleeting they are.

  Epictetus

  Motivational, Desire, Fleeting

• He is free who lives as he wishes to live; who is neither subject to compulsion nor to hindrance, nor to force; whose movements to action are not impeded, whose desires attain their purpose, and who does not fall into that which he would avoid.

  Epictetus

  Fall, Wish, Desire

  Epictetus (2009). “The Enchiridion, or Handbook: With A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus”, p.172, The Floating Press

• One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent.

  Epictetus

  Sports, Philosophical, Perfection

• Some things are up to us [eph' hêmin] and some things are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions–in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing.

  Epictetus

  Office, Desire, Body

• Learn to distinguish what you can and can't control. Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, desires and the things that repel us. They are directly subject to our influence.

  Epictetus

  Life, Desire, Opinion

• Desire and happiness cannot live together.

  Epictetus

  Desire, Together

• Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, and desires and the demons that distract us from these goals. Outside of our control are such things as what kind of body we have, whether or not we are born into wealth, and how we are regarded by others.

  Epictetus

  Goal, Desire, Body

• Freedom is secured not by the fulfillment of one's desires, but by the removal of desire.

  Epictetus

  Live Life, Desire, Fulfillment

• Remember that you ought to behave in life as you would at a banquet. As something is being passed around it comes to you; stretch out your hand, take a portion of it politely. It passes on; do not detain it. Or it has not come to you yet; do not project your desire to meet it, but wait until it comes in front of you. So act toward children, so toward a wife, so toward office, so toward wealth.

  Epictetus

  Life, Children, Hands

  "The Enchiridion". Book translated by Elizabeth Carter, 2006.

• Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.

  Epictetus

  Desire, Body, Aversion

  Epictetus (2012). “The Handbook of Epictetus”, p.3, Simon and Schuster

• To get or not to get what we desire can be equally disappointing.

  Epictetus

  Desire, Disappointing

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